Alex Bruce has slammed Tanguy Ndombele after his performance away at Burnley in the Premier League last weekend was deemed ‘unacceptable’ by the defender.

Spurs drew the game 1-1 at Turf Moor thanks to a Dele Alli penalty, but Ndombele was substituted off by Jose Mourinho at half-time alongside Oliver Skipp, with Lucas Moura and Giovani Lo Celso replacing them respectively (full match report via BBC).

The result left the north London club in eighth place in the table, four points off of fifth-placed Manchester United, who they were due to play this Sunday before the game was postponed because of recent events. Bruce was not impressed by Ndombele’s performance, and told Football Insider that his overall display was ‘unacceptable’.

“I think Ndombele, the penny’s got to drop with him. They paid an awful lot of money Spurs.

“I think you’ve seen him at Burnley last week, the way he played, it was highlighted parts of his performance, it’s totally unacceptable for a Premier League player.

“To walk around like he did without the ball and to only come alive when you’ve got the ball, I think you need to do more and when you’ve got a manager like Mourinho who notices everything, there’s no hiding place.”

Ndombele averages just 0.6 key passes per game in the Premier League according to WhoScored, a stat that is relatively disappointing considering he was averaging 1.4 over the same period while with Lyon last season. Furthermore, Jamie Carragher also ripped into him for his work without the ball.

The Frenchman arrived in the summer and has since played 27 times in all competitions but has only managed to score two goals and provide four assists (via Transfermarkt). Given his price tag over the course of the summer, this is a fairly poor return, especially considering both Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son are still out injured at the moment.

With that in mind, Bruce’s comments seem well-placed on the matter.

Spurs fans, do you think Ndombele can become a fan-favourite? Let us know in the comments down below.